Konica Minolta MAXXUM 5D Digital SLR Camera Kit w/ 18-70mm Lens (6.1MP, 3008x2000, 4x Opt, CompactFlash / Microdrive Slot)

Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D

MAXXUM 5D Digital SLR Camera Kit w/ 18-70mm Lens (6.1MP, 3008x2000, 4x Opt, CompactFlash / Microdrive Slot) Review, by Alan Stafford October 25, 2005

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• Reviewed by: dnovaes

  Strengths: Handles great, feels great and control navigation makes sense.

  Weaknesses: In order to change sharpness, saturation you must be in one of the manual modes!

  Overall: Only had my 5D for a few days, but thus far it seems rather nice! I am just disappointed in the fact that in order to change settings as simple as sharpness, I need to be in one of the manual settings! Consequently, the auto setting pics seem to lack warmth, and have a flat feel to them!If you can enlighten me on this, I welcome feedback!

• Reviewed by: axemanbob

  Strengths: Excellent handling, nice solid build. Image stabilization lives up to everything you've read about it. Great viewfinder. Easy to control.

  Weaknesses: LCD display is terrible for viewing images. Way too low res. 4-way contoller feels cheap.

  Overall: I am extremely happy with this camera. It's really a artist's tool. Not a lot of scene modes compared to other products, but if you have some experience taking control of your camera you'll love how the 5D handles. The info layout on the LCD is outstanding as well as the control layout. Every switch, button and knob gives you the feel of quality EXCEPT the 4-way controller! Why put something that cheap into an otherwise high quality device? The 2.5" LCD panel is great for viewing camera settings but again, why put such a low quality piece of hardware on an otherwise solid built camera? The more you read camera reviews the more you realize there is no perfect camera, they all have some shortcomings expecially in this price range for DSLRs. Despite the LCD and controller I am extremely happy with the 5D. The reviews were dead on accurate and it was exactly as I expected. My wife recently bought a Nikon D50 and despite it's sharp LCD and ALL of the controls feeling solid I still like my 5D better, it's really a photographer's camera. Hope this helps!

• Reviewed by: chienma

  Strengths: Anti-Shake, Price, high ISO usefulness.

  Weaknesses: Built quality for some parts (like the 4-way controller). Wish LCD with higher resolution.

  Overall: I just purchased this DSLR to replace my Panasonic FZ20, which I actually like it a lot. Though FZ-20 is great for its F2.8 through out the 12x zoom range, the low light focus and high noise @ high iso did bother me a lot. 5D appears to fix all these issues with better low light and high iso performance (with higher price,though). Overall, I strongly recommand this camera with its price (comparing to other DSLR), its function (built-in anti-shake...) and its image quality (low light and high ISO results).

• Reviewed by: robiel

  Strengths: Fast, low noise image sensor and anti-shake. Good build quality. Easy to use yet still full featured.

  Weaknesses: Would like user definable presets on the control dial.

  Overall: I've not had a moment's regret since unpacking my 5D about three weeks ago. The combination of antishake and a usable (though with some noise) 3200 ISO means I almost never have to use flash for my kind of pictures. Frankly, I hate, hate, hate flash. Front on flash ruins just about anything it illuminates. The scenes I wish to capture occur early sunrise, late sunset. With the 5D I don't usually carry a tripod knowing that I can shoot ISO 800 with antishake and get sharp results. ISO 400 is noise free to my eyes. ISO 800, touched up with Noise Ninja, is very adequate. For examples go to www.dpreview.com and check out the gallery pictures for the Maxxum 7D - it uses the same CCD sensor. The 6MP sensor is good enough for the kind of pictures I take. Too often we get caught up in how many pixels can dance on the head of a pin. The difference between 6 million and 8 million pixels doesn't amount to a whole lot when it comes to picture area. Many people don't understand that doubling the number of pixels in each dimension of the picture takes 4 times the pixel count. 2 pixels for the vertical and 2 pixels for the horizontal. Doubling the resolution requires going from 6MP to 24 MP. Unlikely. And I don't want to be saving 40 instead of 10 megabyte raw images on the flash card. 6MP is just fine for me. I'd rather spend time and frame my picture carefully at time of exposure. Use the zoom, Luke. If I want Ansel Adams type shots I will use an 8x10 format film camera. The kit lens isn't perfect but what can one expect from a lens that adds less than $100 to the price of the camera back alone? What it lacks in acuity if makes up in zoom range and ability to stop down. The 35mm equivalent 28mm to 105mm range is perfect for a stretch sock solution. Add a 100-300mm telephoto and be good to go. While the lens speed is a bit lower than average, the high ISO and antishake compensate. Another feature worth mentioning is that the 5D has a menu entry allowing me to clean the sensor. It raises the mirror and opens the focal plane shutter so I can reach in and carefully swab the CCD clean of dust particles. Not all dSLR cameras allow this and it can save time, money and lost shots. Startup time is as fast as I need. Not as fast as the Nikon D70 but fast enough that it's ready to shoot when I am. Who needs faster? One can leave this camera on - it will shut down after a settable period and still be ready to shoot in less than a second from the time one half presses the shutter release. The camera holds well. Heavy enough to feel good and light enough to pack around. Also, fits perfectly (with the kit lens) in the Tamrac 5684 case (highly recommended). I like the size better than the 7D, which seemed heavy and a little clunky. I also checked out the Canon Rebel but found it was just too dinky to feel good. The CMOS sensor is superb but I would have to pay hundreds of dollars extra for an image stabilized lens. It's hard to tell how well the image stabilization works but it seems effective. One thing to bear in mind is that its effectiveness diminishes as the zoom increases. I use it with the kit lens and get consistently sharp pictures at 1/10th second at 50mm. The rule of thumb says I should shoot 1/50th of a second for a sharp picture. So I gain a couple of stops. My shins haven't bumped into any sharp corners yet and I am one picky fellow. I give this camera an unqualified two thumbs up.

• Reviewed by: great_sindbad

  Strengths: Fast Focus, Image Quality, Body, Size, Good Kit lens, and lots of features

  Weaknesses: doesn't come with A/C adapter and memory card

  Overall: Best value camera with awesome image quality. This is my first slr camera so it is taking me some time to learn to how to take pictures in various scenarios with different settings. The picture qualiry is great compared to my old P&S camera. I have taken many greate pictures in my learning process which I could never do with old P&S. I will give it 4/5 for great overall performance.